The Early 1900s Cars
Early 1900s Cars
Contributions to the manufacture of early 1900s cars were made possible by several men. Two brothers, Charles E. and James F Duryea, were the first to manufacture and market a successful gasoline-powered automobile.
  James Duryea completed the first Duryea automobile in 1893, in Springfield, Massachusetts, working with his brother's design. In 1895, the Duryeas established the first American automobile manufacturing company.
Another pioneer was Ransom E. Olds who opened his first factory in 1899 in Detroit, Michigan. When his first factory burned down in 1901, Olds came up with the idea of outsourcing the parts to small manufacturers. Of course, that word "outsourcing" was not yet known at that time but that idea was a major breakthrough in automobile manufacturing.
 1905 Curved Dash Oldsmobile
 Henry M. Leland, who founded the Cadillac Company built on Ransom Olds' idea by coming up with standardized parts that could be interchanged among several models.
 1904 Cadillac Model |
 
1909 Opel
Art Print
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1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
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1900 Mercedes
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Rolls Royce, 1907
Art Print
Fantini, Antonio
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Rolls Royce, 1907
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Mercedes, 1900
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Fantini, Antonio
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1909 Ford Model T Touring
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1904 Oldsmobile Curved Dash
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Although Olds and Cadillac developed the idea of standardized and interchangeable parts, it was Henry Ford who developed mass production and made possible rapid production of the early 1900s cars. In 1908 the Ford Motor Company produced the famous Model T Ford. His idea was to produce and motor car that the average person could afford, operate, and maintain. The first Model T Ford sold for $850.00.
Ford's ideas truly revolutionized car manufacturing by developing the first assembly line in 1914.  The basic idea of the assembly line was to move the car on a moving conveyor belt while workers on each side added parts as the car moved along. Often the parts were brought to the workers on another conveyor belt. Each worker had a specific relatively simple task to perform as compared with assembling an entire engine. The use of standardized interchangeable parts also produced a better product that could be easily repaired at lower cost. Before the assembly line, it had taken more than twelve hours to assembly a Model T. New Model T's now come off the assembly line at the rate of one car every 24 seconds. By 1915 the price of a Model T had dropped to $440.00, and by 1925 a Model T could be bought for $290.00. The early 1900's cars now are within reach of the average car buyer.
 1903 Ford A Runabout
The early 1900s cars also benefited from major advances in automotive technology. In 1912, the electric starter, an electric motor that starts the gasoline engine, was invented. It made the operation of the 1910s cars a lot easier. Before its invention, the gasoline engine had to be started by cranking it by hand. This took considerable strength and was also dangerous. If the car were not cranked properly, the crank could kick back and cause a fractured thumb or arm. World War I proved the value of the gasoline automobile. Trucks and ambulances were used in great numbers during the war, and the war proved to be a testing ground for automotive design. The early 1900s cars underwent many changes from 1900 through 1920.  During this time, closed cars that protected the drivers and passengers from sun and rain became more common.
Some Early 1900s Cars
 1901 Albion
 1902 Wolseley
 1905 De Dietrich
 1914 Humberette Cycle Car
History of the Automobile:
Forerunners of the Modern Automobile
Early 1900's cars
1920's Cars
1930's Cars
1940's Cars
1950's Cars
1960's Cars:
1960's Economy Cars
1960's Muscle Cars
1960's Pony Cars
1960's Foreign Cars |
Leasing a Car - What You Need To Know
Advantages of Leasing.
Disadvantages of Leasing.
Lease vs Buy: Which is the Better Decision?
What To Do To Get The Best Lease Deals
You Can Exit A Lease Through Lease Assumption |
